boddah Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 my trolling motor is draining really fast. it is set up with 12v or 24v and even the 24v is not as strong as it used to be. the batteries are fully charged before i go out. 1 battery is new, the other is from 2004 and are both deep cycle. is there is test i can do to see if they are holdin charge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 (edited) Pop off the cell caps,are they black?If so then they are crap.Over charging and not keeping them topped up will cause this. Edited July 6, 2008 by misfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 Your new battery will only have as much power as the old one its attached to. Unhook the old one, charge it alone, and then run the motor on 12V to see what happens. CT can test your battery for free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workwear Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 always try to replace batteries in pairs when hooking up to a 24v system......i know i made that mistake once.....paired the new with another new...and wlel...night and day....good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabluz Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 To really test a battery, you have to put the battery under work conditions (under load) and monitor it's output after a certain length of time. When in the military, I used to work in a lead-acid battery shop. As an aircraft electrician, my training consisted of frequently changing jobs in order to cover all aspects of my trade. When a certain profiency level was obtained, the whole sequence was repeated but at a higher level...with more responsibilities. The only way we could see if a battery was in good condition was how quickly it would recharge without it heating up too much, liquid levels in all cells being equal in quantity and specific gravity etc etc. When recharging many batteries, it was easy to spot the batteries that were below par. When testing a battery during an investigation....the battery was put under load and monitored until it was dead. However, this made the battery unsafe for further use on an aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forrest Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 Your new battery will only have as much power as the old one its attached to. Unhook the old one, charge it alone, and then run the motor on 12V to see what happens. CT can test your battery for free. Yep, replace both at once, ALWAYS, it does not matter if the other old battery is OK. You will kill the new battery that much faster by keeping the old one in series. Take batteries to CTC for load testing, they will also inspect the cells. forrest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 There is a lot of good advice given here. Here's the easiest way to determine if you battery is holding a charge and should be replaced. Charge up the battery and then disconnect it from everything. The next morning take a volt reading. The battery should show at least 12.64 volts (8 hours later). If not replace said battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickingfrog Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 how do you test batteries? It used to be with my little brother's tongue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jace Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 how do you test batteries? It used to be with my little brother's tongue. It's called a high draw test, you can't do it without the right equipment. Or taht's what the shop teacher called it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boddah Posted July 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 i used to store them in the basement in the winter, but last year i forgot them in the garage. do you think this is were the problem started? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 i used to store them in the basement in the winter, but last year i forgot them in the garage. do you think this is were the problem started? You want to or worry about a couple of batteries? Buy two new ones and off you go. Happy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holdfast Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 how do you test batteries? It used to be with my little brother's tongue. Hey I used to test the voltage of a field Phone cranking it while the wires were attached to , well never mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabluz Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 i used to store them in the basement in the winter, but last year i forgot them in the garage. do you think this is were the problem started? A fully charged battery that is in good condition will not freeze.....that is in any inhabited area of Canada but a weak battery can freeze and warpage of the plates can occur. However, a battery that has frozen up is usually easy to spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POLLIWOGG Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Local garage has a battery tester, I charge them up and then run em up the road and test them, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbuck Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Yup, go to Canadian Tire, they test them for FREE (in the hopes that if you need a new one, you'll buy it from them). If one is bad, replace BOTH, otherwise you will run into the same problem. New Deep Cycles if maintained properly (always kept fully charged and topped off with DISTILLED water) should last anywhere from 5-10 years. I think it was Lew that just replaced his after 9 years and he replaced them not because they were bad but because of their age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnic Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 i don't really like walmart, but they will test your batts for free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodro Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 i don't really like walmart, but they will test your batts for free I'm not exactly the biggest Wal-Mart my self but I did however recently run into a similar problem. My batteries were not stored properly over the winter which caused plate damage. After doing some research on Warranties and prices I found that Walmart had the best. I picked up two 27DC batteries for $69.99 plus the $10 disposal fee. The batteries came with a 12 month free replacement warranty and 36month prorated warranty(which I still dont really understand). If you can afford to I would replace the old battery and test the newer one. It may cost you some initial money upfront to buy a new battery but moving forward it will save you many headaches. Just remember to take care of them in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boddah Posted July 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 A fully charged battery that is in good condition will not freeze.....that is in any inhabited area of Canada but a weak battery can freeze and warpage of the plates can occur. However, a battery that has frozen up is usually easy to spot. how is it easy to spot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BITEME Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Hey I used to test the voltage of a field Phone cranking it while the wires were attached to , well never mind I used to know a stoker on the ship that liked a megher that way as well funny as poop to see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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